Relocation of the department’s activities within Kemicentrum

Review of the Department of Chemistry's space requirements

The Department of Chemistry has been tasked by the Faculty of Science, in consultation with LTH, to carry out a review of the department’s space requirements.

The review will be conducted by the Head of the Department of Chemistry and reported to the Dean of the Faculty of Science no later than 31 October 2025.

Background

The Department of Chemistry (KILU) currently leases 20,000 square metres at the Chemical Centre (Kemicentrum). The premises are spread across four buildings and are jointly used by the Faculty of Engineering (LTH) and the Faculty of Science.

From 2026, the financial conditions for KILU will change due to the introduction of a new allocation model for research and doctoral education within the Faculty of Science. The current rent allocation parameter will be discontinued. Under the current model, the department receives a relatively large rent allocation, but from 2026, reduced funding will be allocated to the department as the rent allocation is replaced by other distribution principles.

These changed financial conditions, combined with deferred maintenance in Building 2, require a thorough review of how the department’s space requirements can be met more appropriately within Kemicentrum. Currently, the divisions of Biochemistry & Structural Biology, Biophysical Chemistry, and Pure and Applied Biochemistry are located in Building 2.

In addition, changes in space usage in Building 3—due to the reorganisation of the Department of Process and Life Science Engineering (PLE) - have opened up the possibility of relocating activities from Building 2 to, among others, Building 3. The review should also include a proposal for a new location for Lund University’s Protein Production Platform (LP3), as the majority of its users are based at Kemicentrum. LP3 is currently located in the Biology Building.

What the assignment includes

To gain an overview of the Department of Chemistry’s potential to vacate Building 2 at Kemicentrum, a review of the department’s premises is required. The review of the premises is proposed to include a summary of:

• Total office space in square metres, number of staff, and how workspaces are allocated.
• Summary of laboratory facilities: functions, funding, and utilisation rate.
• Description of the consequences of relocating from Building 2, along with a list of required adaptations.
• Teaching facilities and their utilisation rate.
• Potential new location for LP3 at Kemicentrum.
• Preliminary timeline for how a relocation from Building 2 could be carried out.